Potential side effects of radiation therapy of Morbus Dupuytren or Ledderhose

Not unexpectedly, a therapy that destroys or modifies Dupuytren cells also has effects on other cells. A typical side effect is that the radiated skin dries somewhat. As far as we know, that has no further disadvantage and does not create pain, though it seems to be a permanent effect. Nevertheless, it makes sense to not radiate the full hand but only the Dupuytren affected area plus some perimeter around it. The rest of the hand should be covered with a lead screening (you can find a picture of a Dupuytren disease with the radiated area indicated on our home page). For safety reasons, also the rest of the body should be protected against radiation.

There is generally concern about cancer resulting from high dose x-ray treatments, but the risk depends on dose and energy of the x-rays and on the radiated parts of the body. We received statements that for radiation therapy of Morbus Dupuytren/Ledderhose the added risk to acquire cancer is negligible and we have not heard of any patients who developed cancer in radiated areas. But as we have not seen anything published on this subject we calculated this risk and publish our results here (cancer_risk_Dupuytren_ radiation). Based on our results we believe that the add-on risk for a lethal cancer is very low, not even measurable. Obviously this is not a definite proof and per se cannot assess the individual case, therefore patients need to decide themselves through consulting with their doctor(s) whether they want to take that risk. Dupuytren e.V. itself considers radiation therapy as a very good, if not the only, means to stop Dupuytren in an early stage and to possibly avoid later surgery.

Page last modified: 01/29/2008